Technical Field
Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the transport and restraining of loads, for example, heavy machinery or equipment, especially during severe, adverse environmental conditions. More particularly, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods and devices for restraining turbines, or other loads, equipment, or industrial machines, during transport, servicing, and use during severe, adverse environmental conditions, such as, rolling seas.
Description of Related Art
A variety of industrial and commercial applications may use heavy machinery, such as, generators and turbomachinery (for example, turbines, compressors, and pump). The heavy machinery may be moved and transported for many reasons, such as, for initial installation, for servicing, or for replacement. Unfortunately, the heavy machinery may be installed in locations that may be movable or unstable. For example, the heavy machinery may be installed on ships or trucks. Heavy machinery also may be difficult to move and transport due to variations in weight, size, shape, center of gravity, or other characteristics of the machinery. As a result, the heavy machinery may be difficult to move and transport.
Large heavy machinery, such as, generators and turbomachinery (for example, turbines, compressors, and pumps), such as, a gas turbine, is often transported by land, sea, and air to, for example, desired installation sites. During transport, the transport vehicle and the heavy machinery may be exposed to adverse environmental conditions or even severe adverse conditions, for example, inclement seas, turbulent air, or rough roads, that can expose the transport vehicle and its contents to destabilizing forces that can cause the equipment to shift or topple during transport. This undesirable dislocation of the heavy machinery can damage the equipment or damage the transport vehicle (that is, the plane, ship, train, or truck).
For example, in the handling and transport of loads, such as, turbines (or any other equipment, industrial machine, or heavy machinery), for example, gas turbines, the turbines may typically be mounted on transportation devices (also know as “dollies”) to transport the turbines, for example, aboard a ship. These transport devices typically include support structures mounted on wheels, for example, rubber wheels, that facilitate handling, but are not ideal for restraining the device and the turbine during adverse environmental conditions, such as, the rolling and pitching of the deck of a transport ship. The dolly may only be restrained by friction between the wheels and, for example, the deck upon which the wheels rest, and inclement seas can cause rolling, shifting, or toppling of the dolly and its contents.
Aspects of the present disclosure provide improvements to the art of transporting heavy machinery.